On the bias correction of general circulation model output for Indian summer monsoon

Abstract

A general circulation model (GCM) is an alternative way for predicting Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) over the existing empirical/statistical models in recent time. However, the inherent biases present in the GCM affect its performance. Therefore, there is a high requirement for bias correction of the GCM. Few studies on bias correction of GCMs are available in the context of ISMR. A comparative study is reported in this paper on the six different bias correction methods by applying on the hindcast (May start, June–July–August–September) of the climate forecast system (CFS) model from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) for 27 years (1982–2008). Among the six methods discussed in this paper, three methods did not use any statistical transformation (Mean Bias-remove technique (U), Multiplicative shift technique (M) and Standardized-reconstruction technique (Z)) and the remaining three methods used statistical transformation (Regression technique (R), Quantile Mapping Method (Q), Principal Component Regression (PCR)). Finally, it was found that the Standardized-reconstruction technique (Z) and Quantile Mapping Method (Q) are more skilful than the others and both are equally skilful in simulating ISMR. Bias-corrected rainfall in four extreme years, out of which 1988 and 1994 are characterized by excess rainfall and 1987 and 2002 are characterized by deficit, are also examined here. Results indicate that both methods efficiently capture the extreme rainfall cases.